McKenzie Wins Award From NTID Deaf Professional Group

In recognition of her ongoing profession commitment to deaf and hard-of-hearing people, Chandra McKenzie of Henrietta, assistant provost and director, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Libraries, has received the Award of Excellence from the Deaf Professional Group (DPG) at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), a college of RIT.

DPG annually recognizes members of the RIT community for dedication to improving the quality of life for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

ďChan supported the Deaf Film Fest and helped facilitate the ordering and cataloging of films,Ē said Keith Mousley, Award of Excellence committee chairperson. ďUnder her leadership, the library acquired an Interpretype device for the Reference and Circulation desks; helped establish an American Sign Language and Deaf Culture video collection; and most recently established the Deaf Studies Archives to house research, deaf artistsí works and other historically significant NTID information. She always uses sign language with deaf faculty, staff, and students and helps educate the library community about deafness issues.Ē

McKenzie was a first-year RIT student in 1974 when Lady Bird Johnson, wife of President Lyndon Baines Johnson, dedicated NTIDís Lyndon Baines Johnson Building in honor of husband. One year later, she enrolled in NTIDís interpreter training program.

McKenzie earned a bachelorís degree in Criminal Justice from RIT in 1977 and began working at RIT that same year, as assistant to the Head of Circulation for the library. She earned a masterís degree in Instructional Technology from RIT in 1980 and her Master of Library Science degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1993.

As the library director, she administers personnel and capital resources; sets direction and policy for library collections, access, and instruction; manages information technology systems; and actively seeks new solutions in the delivery of information services to the campus.

NTID is the first and largest technological college in the world for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. One of eight colleges of RIT, NTID offers educational programs and access and support services to the 1,100 deaf and hard-of-hearing students from around the world who study, live, and socialize with 14,400 hearing students on RITís Rochester, N.Y., campus. Web address: http://www.rit.edu/NTID.